The Tragic Lives of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Crown Prince Rudolf

On June 28th, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated in Sarajevo by a Serbian nationalist.

This event set off a chain of events that led to World War I.

Franz Ferdinand was the heir to the Austrian Empire and his reforms could have potentially changed the course of history.

Rudolf, Franz Ferdinand's cousin, had a negative relationship with his military upbringing and he disliked the Habsburg lifestyle.

Franz Ferdinand was a botanist and he enjoyed flowers from an early age. This may have been a sign of an artistic side he did not reveal to the public.

Rudolf was eventually Emperor of Austria and he had no interest in ruling the country. Franz Ferdinand, who was third in line for the throne, would eventually take over as Emperor.

Rudolf, the Crown Prince of Austria, was subject to physical and mental abuse from his sadistic tutor, Major-General Count Leopold Gundrick.

Rudolf's abuse began when he was a child and continued until the early 1880s.

Empress Catherine II, Franz Josef's wife, became aware of the abuse and threatened to leave the household if it continued.

Count Leopold Gundrick abused Rudolf in order to toughen him up and make him into a manly ruler, but the damage done to Rudolf was permanent.

Rudolf's mental health deteriorated as a result of his abuse and he never recovered. He died in 1898 at the age of 32 after a long and troubled life.